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Bob Crane
thumb|Bob Crane starring as Col. Hogan Robert Edward Crane (July 13, 1928 – June 29, 1978) was an American disc jockey and actor who starred as Colonel Robert Hogan from 1965 to 1971. He was nominated for two Emmy Awards for his work on that show. Biography Crane was born in Waterbury, Connecticut. He graduated from high school in 1946 after performing as a drummer at school and with dance bands, as well as the Connecticut Symphony Orchestra. In 1949 he married his high school sweetheart; they eventually had three children. This was the same year he began his radio career, at WLEA in Hornell, NY. Eventually, he rocketed to fame at WICC in Bridgeport, and was wooed to California to work at KNX in Los Angeles. So he moved his family to California and continued his radio career. Crane's interest had always been in acting, and at the age of 33 he got some good breaks in his acting career. He soon was a regular on The Donna Reed Show during the 1963 - 1965 seasons. On The Dick Van Dyke Show, he played a character named "Harry" who tried out for the role of Mark Anthony in a community play. The character for which he is best known is "Colonel Robert Hogan", the lead role in Hogan's Heroes. As Colonel Hogan, he received two Emmy Awards nominations for Best Actor in a Comedy Series in 1965 and in 1966. Crane landed parts in a few feature films (Superdad and Gus) but had no breakout roles before his life was ended. He was bludgeoned to death in Scottsdale, Arizona, in a murder case that was never officially solved. An associate, John Carpenter (not to be confused with the horror film director of the same name), was tried for the murder but was not convicted. Prior to the murder, Carpenter and Crane had made pornographic videos of Crane having sex with numerous women. Crane's life and murder was the subject of the 2002 film Auto Focus. His son, Scotty Crane, and his second wife, Patricia Olsen, objected to the way Crane was portrayed and took to the media to present their side of the story. According to an A&E program on the subject, Crane had tired of his libertine lifestyle and wished to resume leading a more normal life. Since this would have meant cutting off his relationship with Carpenter, this decision of Crane's was presumed to be the motive for the murder. As Carpenter was acquitted, both the murderer and the motive remain officially open questions. Filmography * Gus (1976) * The Bob Crane Show (1975) (TV) * Superdad (1973) * The Delphi Bureau (1972) (TV) * Arsenic and Old Lace (1969) (TV) * The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz (1968) * Hogan's Heroes (1965) (TV) * The New Interns (1964) (uncredited) * The Donna Reed Show (1958) (1963-1965) (TV) * Mantrap (1961) * Return to Peyton Place (1961) (uncredited) Notable TV Guest Appearances * Biography playing "Himself" in episode: "Bob Crane: Double Life" 8 February 2000 * The Love Boat playing "Teddy" in episode: "Family Reunion/Too Hot to Handle/Cinderella Story" (episode # 1.13) 7 January 1978 * Disneyland playing "Pepper" in episode: "Gus" (episode # 24.1) 18 September 1977 * Dinah! playing "Himself" 1 September 1977 * The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries playing "Danny Day" in episode: "A Haunting We Will Go" (episode # 1.8) 13 April 1977 * Quincy playing "Dr. Jamison" in episode: "Has Anybody Here Seen Quincy?" (episode # 2.7) 18 March 1977 * Gibbsville playing "Lawyer" in episode: "Trapped" (episode # 1.5) 9 December 1976 * Spencer's Pilots in episode: "The Search" 29 October 1976 * Ellery Queen playing "Jerry Crabtree" in episode: "The Adventure of the Hard-Hearted Huckster" (episode # 1.21) 21 March 1976 * Joe Forrester in episode: "The Invaders" (episode # 1.18) 23 February 1976 * Disneyland playing "Charlie McCready" in episode: "Superdad" (episode # 22.14) 15 February 1976 * The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson playing "Himself" 4 March 1975 * Police Woman playing "Larry Brooks" in episode: "Requiem for Bored Wives" (episode # 1.10) 29 November 1974 * Tenafly playing "Sid Pierce" in episode: "Man Running" (episode # 1.4) 2 January 1974 * Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In playing "Himself" (episode # 6.10) 20 November 1972 * Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In playing "Himself" (episode # 6.3) 25 September 1972 * Love, American Style in episode: "Love and the Waitress" (episode # 3.13d) 17 December 1971 * Night Gallery playing "Ellis Travis" in episode: "House - with Ghost" (episode # 2.26) 17 November 1971 * The Virginia Graham Show playing "Himself" 15 October 1971 * The Pet Set playing "Himself" 10 October 1971 * The Doris Day Show playing "Himself" in episode: "And Here's...Doris" (episode # 4.1) 13 September 1971 * The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson playing "Himself" 23 August 1971 * Love, American Style in episode: "Love and the Logical Explanation" (episode # 2.21c) 19 February 1971 * Love, American Style in episode: "Love and the Proposal" (episode # 1.14c) 5 January 1970 * Love, American Style in episode: "Love and the Modern Wife" (episode # 1.5a) 27 October 1969 * The Leslie Uggams Show playing "Himself" 12 October 1969 * Dateline: Hollywood playing "Himself" 8 August 1967 * The Red Skelton Show playing "Himself" in episode: "Freddie's Heroes" 10 January 1967 * What's My Line? playing "Guest Panelist" 11 December 1966 * The Lucy Show playing "Himself" in episode: "Lucy and Bob Crane" (episode # 4.22) 21 February 1966 * The Hollywood Palace playing "Himself - Singer" (episode # 3.13) 25 December 1965 * Channing in episode: "A Hall Full of Strangers" (episode # 1.13) 25 December 1963 * The Alfred Hitchcock Hour playing "Charles Lessing" in episode: "The Thirty-First of February" (episode # 1.15) 4 January 1963 * The Dick Van Dyke Show playing "Harry Rogers" in episode: "Somebody Has to Play Cleopatra" (episode # 2.14) 26 December 1962 * General Electric Theater playing "Harry" in episode: "The $200 Parlay" (episode # 10.5) 15 October 1961 * The Twilight Zone playing "Disc Jockey" in episode: "Static" (episode # 2.20) 10 March 1961 * General Electric Theater in episode: "Ride the River" (episode # 1.2) 8 February 1953 Miscellaneous * Picture Window (1959-- unaired TV pilot) * Crisis - The Flaw (Audio Suspense Series) * Zero Hour (Rod Serling Radio series; 5 appearances) Bibliography * Graysmith, Robert. (2002) Auto Focus: The Murder of Bob Crane. Berkley Publishing Group. ISBN 0425189023. * Graysmith, Robert. (1993) Murder of Bob Crane: Who Killed the Star of "Hogan's Heroes"? Crown Publishing Group. ISBN 0517592096. * Auto Focus (2002) DVD. External links * Bob Crane tribute site, operated by son Scotty - NOTE: Contains adult content * Webstalag 13 * The Hofbrau * Bob Crane at the Internet Movie Database Crane, BobCrane, BobCrane, BobCrane, BobCrane, BobCrane, BobCrane, BobCrane, Bob